EVALUATION OF THE QUALITY OF DRINKING WATER IN RASINA DISTRICT, SERBIA: PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND BACTERIOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT NEBOJŠA PANTELIĆ1,*, ALEKSANDRA M. DRAMIĆANIN2, DANIJELA B. MILOVANOVIĆ3 1 1 JELENA B. POPOVIĆ-ĐORĐEVIĆ , ALEKSANDAR Ž. KOSTIĆ 1Faculty of Agriculture, Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia, E-mails:
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected] 2Innovation Centre of Faculty of Chemistry, Chair of Analytical Chemistry, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; E-mail:
[email protected] 3Institute of Public Health Kruševac, Department of Sanitary Microbiology, Vojvode Putnika 2, 37000 Kruševac, Serbia:
[email protected] Received February 6, 2017 Abstract. The water samples from Rasina District (Serbia) were evaluated for principal physical and chemical parameters, as well as for microbiological contaminants. Results were compared to National and World Health Organization (WHO) water quality standards. Several samples contained total organic matter, ammonia, residual chlorine, nitrite, nitrate, iron and manganese above proposed legislation limits. For samples contaminated with faecal bacteria, Streptococcus faecalis, aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliform bacteria and sulfite-reducing clostridia special attention should be payed to drinking water disinfecting methods. The potential health risks of waterborne diseases due to consumption of water from contaminated sources could be implied. Key words: Rasina area; drinking water; quality; physicochemical properties; microbiology. 1. INTRODUCTION Water is a resource that has many uses, including recreation, transportation, and hydroelectric power, domestic, industrial and commercial uses [1, 2]. The quality of drinking water has a direct link with the human health and providing clean water to the consumers is one of the most important public health priorities [3].